


pick me from the dark and pull me from the grave

by chahakyn



Series: now i’m no longer alone (a 5, 6, 7 friendship series) [3]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Ben Hargreeves, Ben Hargreeves' Tentacles | Bentacles, Character Death Fix, Five comes back early from the apocalypse, Gen, No Incest, Pre-Canon, Pre-Season/Series 01, Sibling Bonding, Translation Available, Перевод на русский | Translation in Russian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:33:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26369542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chahakyn/pseuds/chahakyn
Summary: "At the end of the day, I’m going to be the one walking in there and I’m going to have to figure out how to stay alive.”“But you won’t be alone,” Vanya says quickly, catching Ben's hand.“We’ll be there. We’ll always be there for you, Ben. You know that, right?”-Five comes back from the apocalypse and reveals that they have 2 weeks to prevent Ben's death.
Relationships: Number Five | The Boy & Ben Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves
Series: now i’m no longer alone (a 5, 6, 7 friendship series) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1900036
Comments: 17
Kudos: 141





	pick me from the dark and pull me from the grave

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [pick me from the dark and pull me from the grave](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28958628) by [greengoroshek](https://archiveofourown.org/users/greengoroshek/pseuds/greengoroshek)



> au where five comes back from the apocalypse after a few years 
> 
> (this fic is also followed by a [ loose sequel](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26685766))
> 
> fic title is from [ still feel.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_uvv1UKMQ0&ab_channel=half%C2%B7alive-Topic) by half•alive

Five’s been back from the future for less than 24 hours; for all accounts and purposes, he should be passed out in bed, dead to the world.

And yet, Five’s awake and in Ben’s room, grabbing Ben’s hand before he can object and warping both of them to the library. Ben staggers when they land, the book in his hands falling to the floor as he grips the back of a chair to steady himself.

“Warn me next time, Five, _Christ_ —”

“Five? Ben?” Vanya looks up from her homework, pleased expression morphing into one of concern as Five sways slightly on his feet. She quickly makes her way around the table, placing a steadying hand on each of their shoulders.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” Vanya manages to guide Five into a chair before she and Ben take seats beside him.

“No time,” Five says, pushing his hair back before rubbing his face wearily.

“You look like you’re going to keel over—"

“We don’t have _tim_ e _,_ ” he snaps, turning to face Ben. “You die in 2 weeks.”

Vanya claps her hand over her mouth as Ben blanches in shock.

“ _What_?” They both say in unison, staring intently at Five.

“Don’t make me say it again,” Five hisses, eyes narrowed. His expression falls, though, voice hushed when he speaks again.

“We go on a mission. You walk in alone, and you don’t walk out.”

“How do you know that?

Five looks at Vanya, raising a brow. “Your book.”

“My…my what?”

“Look,” Five huffs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “In the future, you write a book detailing your life. Exposing all the family secrets, so to say.”

“I don’t—Isn’t that bad? Wouldn’t everyone be upset?” Vanya glances between the two of them, her fingers twisting together nervously.

“Undoubtably. But apparently, the book does quite well, so congratulations to you on that. You’ve always been quite the writer.”

“Not helping, Five,” Ben hisses, turning to wrap one arm around Vanya as she stares down at the floor. Five sighs and reaches out, taking her hand and squeezing it gently.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it. It seems that the combination of my disappearance and Ben’s death are the primary motivators that drove you to distance yourself from the family enough to write the expos _é_.”

“So I was alone,” she murmurs. Five nods soberly.

“Yes. But that won’t happen because I’m here now. And if we do this right, Ben will stay with us.”

Vanya nods, determined. “We’ll make that happen. What did the book say about Ben?”

Five sighs. “Not much. All I know is the date and the fact that Ben sort of…exploded? Quite messy, apparently.”

“That’s…not great…” Vanya says, wincing.

“It really isn’t.” Five turns to Ben, lips twisted in a frown. “Any ideas?”

“It finally happened, then,” Ben murmurs to himself, gaze distant.

“Ben?”

“O-oh. Sorry.” He shifts guiltily in his seat. “Seems that I lost control. I always wondered if that’d happen.”

“Well if we do this right, it won’t.” Five pauses, brows knitting together. “I need to think about this.” He turns in his seat, vanishing in a burst of energy. Vanya turns to Ben and places a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“We’ll figure it out.”

\---

Ben looks up as the door to the training room creaks open, Vanya slipping in.

“You wanted to talk?”

“Yeah.” Ben pats the spot on the floor next to him, waiting until Vanya has settled down, tucking her legs to the side, before he continues. “I wanted your opinion on things. On what you think could have set me off.”

Vanya makes a confused noise, tilting her head. “Wouldn’t Five have a better idea? He’s seen you fight.”

“That’s why I want to ask you first. I’m thinking it might be something…different,” Ben says.

“Hm.” Vanya looks carefully at Ben, tapping her chin. “Are you comfortable letting them come out right now?” She nods her head at Ben’s stomach. Ben frowns but complies, lifting his shirt carefully. One tentacle inches out almost hesitantly, feeling its way along the floor as another slides out, beelining towards Vanya. It touches her ankle tentatively.

“What do you do when you train?” Vanya asks absently as she observes the tentacles’ movements with a keen eye. She holds her hand out, palm up, towards the tentacle nearest her.

Ben shrugs. “Besides the usual exercise and stamina training, mostly hand-to-hand combat. I don’t really bring them out for that unless I’m alone,” he says, nodding at the appendage feeling along the floor almost curiously.

Vanya hums thoughtfully. “Do you do any sort of…emotional training? Mindfulness or anything?”

“Not…particularly. Why?”

“They just seem to be very in tune with your emotions. With you,” Vanya says, letting the tentacle curl around her hand, almost snake-like its movements. “I’ve noticed you seem to always be pushing them down, like you want to hide them as fast as you can.”

“I don’t really like thinking about it,” Ben murmurs, turning away. The appendages stiffen; their movements grow sharper, despite their behavior still being peaceful.

“That’s alright,” Vanya says, voice softening into a more soothing tone. “If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. But if you do, I won’t judge.”

Ben snorts. “You never judge.”

“ _Extra_ no judging, then,” Vanya concedes, smiling as she pats a newly emerged tentacle with her free hand. “I think what you’re feeling is worth looking into more.”

“I just…” Ben sighs, flopping over on his back. “They scare me.” He gestures toward his stomach. “It scares me how good they are at killing things. And it scares me that they’re a part of me, that by extension _I’m_ that good at killing things.” Ben stares resolutely at the ceiling as he speaks, worrying the pad of his thumb against the knuckles of his other hand.

“I’m afraid that if I don’t suppress them as much as I already do, it’ll just get worse and I’ll become even more of a killer than I have to be. I don’t like hurting people like that,” he murmurs.

“I’m sorry,” Vanya says soberly.

“Don’t be, it’s not like you raised me to be this way,” Ben says with a shrug. Vanya shrugs back, tilting her head as a tentacle lazily flicks at her hair.

“It still deserves to be said.” Her knees touch Ben’s shoulder and Ben glances up at her before carefully resting his head on her thigh. They sit in thoughtful silence for a bit before Vanya speaks again.

“Would refusing to fight be enough to make you explode?”

“I don’t think so?” Ben’s brow furrows as he chews on the inside of his cheek. “I think only my losing control and letting them completely take over would cause that.”

“What do you think could make you lose control then?”

Ben shrugs. “Dunno, never gotten close enough to say for certain. Maybe if I get hurt bad enough. Or if stretch myself too far.”

Vanya hums in consideration, brow furrowed. Ben groans in response, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands.

“This whole thing is like trying to solve a math problem with more variables than numbers.”

“Sorry.” Vanya winces. “I might have made this worse.”

Ben glances up as he shakes his head.

“You always make things better Vanya. Don’t sell yourself short,” he says quietly, reaching up to tap her nose. “I need to think about these things, really. At the end of the day, I’m going to be the one walking in there and I’m going to have to figure out how to stay alive.”

“But you won’t be alone,” Vanya says quickly, catching his hand. “We’ll be there. We’ll always be there for you, Ben. You know that, right?”

Ben smiles, squeezing her hand. “I do.”

\---

“Just come at me,” Five says with a scowl, rolling his eyes as he beckons Ben closer. Ben takes a wary step back, arms crossed over his chest.

“What if I don’t want to?”

Five shoves a hand through his hair. “Look, we’ve sparred before. This is no different.”

“This is _very_ different, Five!” Ben nearly shrieks, throwing his hands up in the air. “You’re asking me to not hold back! This is uncharted territory!”

“You dying is also uncharted territory!” Five snaps, blinking close enough to Ben to jab his finger against Ben’s chest. “Just fucking _do_ it _._ You won’t hurt me.”

“You don’t know that,” Ben says, startled at Five’s sudden close proximity.

“You are _severely_ underestimating my capabilities if you think you can hurt me.”

“ _Five_ ,” Vanya says reproachfully from where she sits a few feet away, giving him a sharp look. Five makes an impatient noise, stalking a few feet away from Ben before whipping around.

“Okay, look. I need to know how you fight. No limits. I can’t—" Five cuts himself off. “Ben, we _need_ to know everything we can to try and stop you from dying. Doing this in a controlled environment is the best way to prepare.”

Ben’s gaze falls to the ground as she shifts uncertainly. Five exhales, ducking his head to try and catch Ben’s eye.

“ _Please_ , Ben.”

“You’ll be careful?” Ben says, looking up slowly.

“When am I not?” Five glances to the side, looking relieved as Vanya nods at Ben in encouragement. “We won’t need to draw this out. Just fight me. And don’t hurt Vanya.”

“I would never,” Ben says in an offended tone as he carefully lifts his shirt, letting three tentacles slide out. He doesn’t move otherwise, fingers clenching and unclenching nervously as the tentacles unfurl lazily around him.

“Just stop fucking _stalling_ , Number 6,” Five says, gritting his teeth.

“Don’t call me that,” Ben growls, tentacles lashing out at Five so quickly he barely manages to blink away in time. Vanya presses her hand to her mouth as she watches them fight, moving faster and acting more ruthlessly than she has ever seen in her life. It’s _amazing_.

Five blinks about, avoiding long swinging limbs as he briefly manages to engage Ben in hand-to-hand combat. Five lands a few hits before warping behind Ben, though Ben manages to deflect his next blow, quickly dropping down and attempting to sweep Five’s legs out from under him.

Five vanishes, Ben’s leg cutting through air. He turns around to see Five running directly toward him and Ben quickly sends tentacles hurling his way. Five manages to dodge most of them, latching onto one that tosses him in the air. Five blinks out of sight before suddenly appearing in front of Ben, vanishing again just as a tentacle slams down where he had been standing.

Ben’s eyes narrow before he whips his head to the side, a tentacle preemptively shooting out to seize Five the exact moment he appears. The appendage wraps around Five’s neck, others eagerly following to latch themselves onto Five’s limbs, holding him down.

“Are we done here?” Ben says calmly, raising a brow.

“Yes, yes, _Christ_ , your reflexes are good,” Five wheezes, wincing at the feeling of the tentacles tightening their grip around him ever so slightly.

“That must have hurt you to admit, Number 5,” Ben says haughtily, though he rushes to kneel Five’s side as Five collapses to the floor after being released. “You alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine, I deserved that,” Five says, rubbing his neck as he leans against Ben, the casual touch a clear signal that he holds no hard feelings. Ben relaxes, looking up as he hears Vanya scramble to their side.

“Are you two okay?” She asks, batting Five’s hand away to examine his neck.

“Relax Vanya, I wouldn’t have hurt him. We’re _fine_.”

“I can never be sure with you two. Boys, I swear,” Vanya huffs, sitting back once they’ve been deemed alright by her measures.

“80% of that is Five.” Ben chokes as Five elbows him in the side with a glare.

“In your dreams, you’re just as much of a nuisance as I am.”

“You are both equally irritating and nonsensical, in my humble opinion. That aside, wasn’t there was a point to all this?” Vanya arches a brow at the two of them, expression reminiscent of Five’s commanding look save for the way the corner of her lip ticks up in amusement.

“Yeah, there was.” Five pushes his hair away from his forehead as he turns to look at Ben. “From a physical standpoint, I can’t see how you’d lose control in battle. Short of being injured, maybe.”

“We’re not testing that,” Ben says quickly, relaxing as Five nods.

“We aren’t,” he agrees. “What did you think, Vanya?”

Vanya looks startled at being addressed, hands fluttering about nervously before clasping in her lap.

“There’s—I don’t have any knowledge about Ben’s physical capabilities.”

“I know. But still, what do you think?” Five encourages carefully, gaze focused on her to reassure her that what she’s saying is worth hearing.

“I think your emotions are definitely where the misstep would lie,” Vanya says after a moment of thought. “Five’s right, your combat is solid. And you both looked very cool,” Vanya says almost shyly, ducking her head. “Watching you two in action was very impressive.”

“Why, _thank_ _you_ , Vanya,” Ben says, giving her a gracious nod before turning to Five. “Why can’t you be normal and give compliments without trying to beat me up? You could learn a lot from Vanya, you know.”

Five rolls his eyes over Vanya muffled giggles, shoving Ben so that he tips over with a squawk.

“Stop fishing, idiot,” Five says loftily, though the appearance of the dimple in his cheek betrays his amusement. “I only give compliments where they’re due.”

Ben props himself up on his elbow, jabbing a finger at Five.

“So you admit that you’re holding back? Because if you truly gave them where they were due, you’d be complimenting Vanya all day. Everything she does is good enough to warrant a compliment, right?”

Five’s eyes widen. “I—"

“There is a _right_ answer to this, if you weren’t aware,” Ben stage-whispers conspiratorially, raising a brow. Five’s mouth opens before snapping closed, brow furrowing.

Vanya laughs, taking pity on Five as she shakes her head at Ben.

“I like Five as he is. No need for you to bully him.” Vanya draws her arm around Five’s shoulders, leaning comfortably against him. Ben tilts his head, eyes creasing into crescents as he smiles warmly at them.

“I know. I like Five as he is, too,” Ben says quietly, patting Five’s knee. “Thanks for doing this. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re my brother, why wouldn’t I do it?” Five mutters, unsure of how to handle Ben’s gratitude and Vanya’s affection. His gaze darts about for a moment before settling on Ben’s face, giving him a hesitant, but genuine smile.

\---

Ben taps his foot against Five’s knee, giving Five a look from where he and Vanya are sprawled out on Five’s bed.

“So, you said you have a plan?” He prompts, startling Five from his staring contest with the chalkboard above his bed.

“Ah, yes, I do.” Five makes one last mark before looking down at them, flinging chalk dust into the air as he gestures forcefully with his left hand. Ben sneezes violently.

“We have less than a week, as you already know,” Five continues as if Ben hadn’t made a noise. “I still can’t gather what kind of mission it could be, and the only reason I can figure you get sent in alone is because Luther or someone else happens to be on some head-trip that involves thinking you need to handle things on your own. Like a man.” Five rolls his eyes, hinting none too subtly as to his opinion on the subject.

“If we tell Luther that we’re joining you, Dad will get suspicious and we don’t need that. So, I propose that you play along with whatever you’re told to do. Vanya and I will sneak out and meet you there and we’ll provide support in whatever form that needs to be in.”

Ben wrinkles his nose as he raises his hand. “Not to be rude but bringing Vanya strikes me as one of your rare bad ideas.”

“It was _my_ idea,” Vanya says.

“I love you Vanya, but I still think it’s a bad idea,” Been says, patting her hand.

“Well, it’s better than you dying,” Vanya huffs, lower lip jutting out.

“Look,” Five interrupts, sitting down on the bed next to them, “I’ll be there to cover Vanya if need be. And you can’t deny it, but we need Vanya there. I can fight you, keep up with you physically, but Vanya is the best one to reach you emotionally if things get dicey. We don’t know what we’re working with, so we need to cover all the bases.”

Ben looks between the two of them before frowning.

“I still don’t like this plan.”

“Well, if you think of something better, call me,” Five says pleasantly, dimple deepening as he gives Ben a sarcastic smile.

“Don’t be such a piece of shit, you _know_ I won’t think of anything better.”

“I never said that,” Five says haughtily. Ben rolls his eyes, reaching forward to flick Five’s forehead. Five lurches back in surprise as Ben snickers.

“Ben.”

Both Ben and Five turn to face Vanya as she props herself up.

“If you think there’s a better way, tell us,” she says, expression serious. Ben sighs, giving them a half-hearted shrug.

“There’s no way for me to say what could be better. I just don’t want you to get hurt. Both of you,” Ben says pointedly, gaze flicking towards Vanya. Vanya drops her hand onto Ben’s knee, squeezing gently.

“We’ll be careful. We’re going to make this work.”

\---

“A fucking raid on an underground criminal ring,” Five hisses as he stalks alongside Ben down the hallway. “For God’s sake, we aren’t the _police_.”

“Good publicity for the Academy?” Ben ventures, putting his mask on. Five rolls his eyes.

“In theory, a good raid shouldn’t garner much attention other than a cursory ‘Huzzah, we caught some criminals.’” Five stops Ben with a hand on his shoulder, glancing to the left and right before speaking quietly. “Vanya’s in her room getting ready. We have a rough scope of the place and we’ll meet you at the side door. Wait for us, okay?”

“Of course, it’s not like I _want_ to die.”

“Ben.” Five’s grip tightens. “It’s going to work, okay? We’ll be right there with you.”

Ben nods and Five claps him on the shoulder with a reassuring nod before warping away. The thought of his siblings being there to help him eases his worries somewhat, though it doesn’t stop his leg from bouncing incessantly the entire trip there. He gives the car one last longing look before making his way down the side alley, tucking himself in an alcove by the side door.

“Five?”

“Right here.” Five appears next to Ben in a haze of blue. “There are a lot of them roaming the place.”

“Right. Well…” Ben tilts his head towards the door. “Shall we?”

Five cracks his knuckles. “Let’s. Vanya?”

“Right here!” Vanya’s head peeks out from behind the nearby dumpster, waving at them. Ben squints.

“Is that a _gun_?”

“Don’t ask, you’re better off not knowing,” Five mutters, shoving Ben forward before blinking away. Ben turns to look at Vanya, who gives him an encouraging smile. He nods back, taking a deep breath as he jiggles the side door open, wincing at the creaking noise.

Ben slides in, shutting the door behind him; the hallways are nearly pitch black. He touches the wall to his left and carefully begins to walk forward, letting a few tentacles slip out from under his shirt. They feel out their surroundings, acclimating themselves, and Ben can suddenly feel his senses heighten. His vision focuses and clears despite the dark, and his hearing sharpens enough to catch the murmur of voices a few rooms away.

Right, the mission. Main meeting room. Incapacitate and, if necessary, eliminate. Hopefully he can get where he needs to be without being discovered—

“Hey you!”

“Fuck,” Ben mutters as he directs a tentacle to whip around and sweep the legs out from under a man. The man screams, shooting his gun wildly, and Ben curses as he sprints down the hall, hearing the pounding footsteps of others behind him. He backs into a large room, tentacles eagerly attacking as men with guns flood into the room.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ben can see Five warp in with Vanya by his side, both of them attacking criminals with vigor. Vanya even manages a few well-placed shots, despite how hard he can see her hands are shaking.

They fight and fight, but it seems that the number of antagonists keeps swelling. A bead of sweat rolls down Ben’s temple as he battles. He can already feel himself growing weary, shoulders slouching slightly as he tries to fight harder.

Maybe Five and Vanya were wrong. He’s only a teenager, after all; maybe his lack of physical ability _will_ be his downfall.

“Let go of me!”

Ben turns to see another criminal wrestling the gun from Vanya’s grip before backing her into the wall, holding it to her head. The man crumples suddenly in a flash of blue, Five’s arm wrapped protectively around Vanya as he pulls her to cover.

“There’re too many of them!” Five yells, attention split between protecting Vanya and trying to keep an eye on Ben. Ben’s eyes dart frantically about as he takes in how ridiculously outnumbered they are. His heart beats at a breakneck speed, panic beginning to rise.

“Shit, shit, _shit_ ,” Ben mutters as he fights desperately, trying to tear his way to Five and Vanya’s side. They can’t die defending him, they don’t deserve that, Ben isn’t _worth_ that.

Ben frantically wracks his mind as he struggles through. What can he do to get them all out of this?

_You know what you need to do_.

Ben freezes, mind grinding to a halt. Of course. He knows _exactly_ what to do.

He closes his eyes, dropping his hands, and lets down the carefully imposed mental walls he’s been holding up for as long as he can remember. A feeling of relief courses through Ben’s veins, followed by a rush of something heavy and dark through his senses. A violent shiver runs down his spine as he feels his body twitch, limbs flexing as though recalibrating.

Ben slowly opens his eyes, blinking as he takes in the scene before him, everything colored in shades of hazy red. It all feels new and different, heightened senses drinking in all the details in front of him before zeroing in on his focus.

Five and Vanya. That’s who he needs to protect at _all_ costs.

Ben feels his lips curl into a grin, and the tentacles nearly sing with glee as they shoot out at breakneck speed, tearing through the bodies surrounding his siblings. Limbs fly and blood coats the walls as Ben fights without abandon, hands curling into fists. Vanya’s eyes widen as she watches it all unfold from where she’s backed against the wall.

“Five!” Vanya yells, managing to catch Five’s attention. “Ben…he’s…” Vanya trails off as she points. Five turns around, watching as Ben throws the last criminal to the side before turning away from the bloody mess of bodies.

Their gazes meet for a split second and Five’s eyes widen as he sees the dark red tint of Ben’s eyes. Ben doesn’t acknowledge his brother, doesn’t even give a second glance, merely turning on his heel and moving out and down hall.

“ _Shit_.” Five pulls Vanya up, sprinting after Ben. “We have to follow him, he’s in too deep.”

They run down the hall in pursuit of him, pressing themselves against the wall outside another room as their hear spurts of gunfire interrupted by the cracks of bone and frenzied screaming.

“Cover me,” Vanya says urgently, eyes wide as she grips Five’s shoulder imploringly. Five steels his jaw, tossing his hair out of his eyes before nodding and disappearing. The staccato sound of gunfire immediately ceases, and as Vanya rushes out into the room, she can see Five darting about, distracting the group of criminals with a few well-placed words and even more well-placed fists.

Vanya sprints to Ben’s side, grabbing his hand.

“Ben!”

Ben’s hand twitches, but it’s as though he can’t hear her. His face, contorted into a scowl, is focused with burning intensity on the men that he tears apart. Vanya can see the red color of his eyes and the dark streaks of the veins beneath his now abnormally pale skin, appearance so unlike the Ben she knows. Her heart flutters in fear, but she presses forward.

“Ben! Look at me,” Vanya cries, grabbing Ben’s face between her hands and manhandling him to look directly in her eyes. He blinks, caught off guard.

“You need to calm down. It’s okay, we’re right here—" The sound of a gunshot cuts her off.

“Shit!” Vanya and Ben whip around as they hear Five gasp, clutching his leg. Ben’s eyes widen before they narrow, and Vanya can feel the Ben she knows slipping away again, focus honed in on the men who dared hurt his brother.

Vanya makes an angry noise, and before Ben can react, she forcefully throws her hand out towards the men. A pulsing blue-tinted glow shoots out from between her fingers, spreading throughout the room towards the men before slamming them into the wall. They crumple to the floor, unmoving. The lights flicker eerily, the building groaning around them as the force of Vanya’s energy wave rattles its foundations.

“Vanya…” Five gasps, eyes wide. Vanya gapes, looking down at her hands before frantically looking up and cupping Ben’s face again, gaze darting about his face as she smooths back his hair with one hand. Ben looks at her almost in confusion, eyes still glazed over red. But she has his focus, and that’s all she needs.

“See, we’re okay, everything is okay. You can come back Ben, you don’t need to fight anymore.”

“I…” Ben pauses, and Vanya can see a flicker of recognition behind his eyes.

“That’s it, Ben, I’m right here,” Vanya says, trying her best to smile encouragingly past her overwhelming panic. “We’re gonna be alright, I just need you to come back to us.”

“I don’t…Vanya—You,” Ben stutters out before his eyes suddenly roll into the back of his head. Vanya gasps, managing to catch him as he slumps to the floor, tentacles retracting as quickly as they came.

“Ben, oh God, please hold on—” Vanya begs, slapping Ben’s cheek lightly.

“Ben?” Five crawls over to them, collapsing at Vanya’s side as he quickly checks Ben’s pulse. “He’s alive, I think—”

Ben cuts Five off with a shuddering breath, his eyes shooting open as his hand grips Vanya’s shoulder with an almost uncomfortable amount of strength.

“Vanya, _Five_ —"

“It’s okay, we’re right here,” Five says, cupping Ben’s face with a careful hand as he takes in the normal, warm dark brown of Ben’s eyes with a sigh of relief.

“What…what did you _do_?” Ben croaks, turning to look blearily at Vanya as she carefully cradles him in her arms.

“I—I have no idea,” she says, shrugging helplessly.

“Was amazing, whatever it was,” Ben says, words slurring. He eyelids droop with exhaustion, but he still manages to look incredibly proud. “You’re so badass.”

“Thanks. I’m just glad you’re alive,” Vanya says haltingly, vision blurring through tears of relief.

“Yeah, me too.”

“Hate to break this up, but we’ve got company,” Five interjects quietly, his arms curled protectively around Ben and Vanya. “Wanna get out of here?”

“Please,” Ben whispers, leaning his head against Five’s shoulder. Five nods, brow furrowing and arms tightening around his siblings as he focuses, managing to warp them back into the foyer of the Academy. Diego lets out a yelp at their sudden appearance, clutching his chest.

“ _Christ_ , you scared me—Whoa, you guys alright?” He asks, taking in Five’s bloody leg and Ben’s pale, shaking form.

“Might…wanna get Grace,” Five grits out, knuckles white as grips Vanya’s arm like an anchor.

Diego nods, turning on his heel and yelling for help. Vanya taps both Ben and Five’s shoulders.

“Can we maybe _not_ talk about my new powers until later,” she murmurs as they hear the pounding of multiple sets of feet down the stairs.

“’Course,” Ben says faintly, wincing as Klaus lets out a surprised shriek at the sight of them.

“Congratulations on that, by the way,” Five says in an undertone, managing to give her a warm smile through the pain. “Glad to have you join our ranks.”

Vanya’s cheeks flush as she smiles back. “Glad to be here.”

**Author's Note:**

> you know the trope of characters going apeshit and the only thing that brings them back from their state of frenzy is the call of loved ones? yeah…yeah 
> 
> come find me on [ tumblr](https://shizuoi.tumblr.com/) if you want to talk more!


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